Laurent GRASSO

Institut de France

Laurent Grasso publicly unveiled a new visual enigma in one of the high places of knowledge. In the context of the building of a new auditorium by architect Marc Barani for the Institut de France, located in the quai de Conti, the artist imagined a nocturnal work composed of a set of onyx sculptures which form a constellation of illuminated points. Created from a selection of signs and geometric shapes, those ten elements punctuate a course beginning from the rue Mazarine and ending in the courtyard located in front of the auditorium, casting a strange atmosphere over the exterior spaces of the palais de l’Institut: one that instigates daydreaming. Conceived for this embassy of academic work, these sculptures were inspired by art history and the science of symbols, as well as the historical building of the Institut and the visual world of the artist.